NIHSS Certification Exam Review Questions With Correct Answers

What does NIHSS stand for? - Answer National Institute of Health Stroke Scale What are 6 important conventions to remember when scoring a NIHSS? - Answer Administer scale items in EXACT order Avoid coaching the patient Accept the patient's first effort Score only what the patient does Be consistent Include all deficits in scoring When administering an NIHSS what is important to remember about the order of the test? - Answer Do not change the order of the testing, go in exact order to reproduce results. A nurse is administering a NIHSS. He/she re preforms the test after a poor first result. The patient scores much better on the second attempt. Which test result should the nurse record in the patient's records? Why? - Answer The first attempt. Only first attempts are recorded as an attempt to keep the NIHSS uniform throughout healthcare.